Nov 24, 2011

Probably the best, and the most offensive teams in the competition will face each other in Brazil, in what promises to be a cracking match. Vasco's coach Borges used reserve teams in the first legs so far, but those matches were played away from home. Not this time though, and Borges will send a full strength team, in order to try and clinch the qualification, so maybe he could rest a few players in the second leg. Diego Souza will miss the match for the Brazilians, but they have plenty of fire-power in their team, so I doubt that his absence should be an issue. Meanwhile, U de Chile is probably playing the best football in this edition of Copa Sudamericana, and many have compared their play to Barcelona. 14 goals scored, in 8 matches looks pretty nice, and gives us hopes for a goal-fest for this match, especially if we pair those numbers with Vasco's 17 goals scored in 6 games. The Chileans have rested their key players during the weekend, so they should all be fit, and I'm counting on their usual strategy of attacking, and trying to out-score their oponents. GL!

Emelec and El Nacional rarely dissapoint when it comes to overs, as they are probably the most offensive teams in the league, so I'm trying to keep up with this trend, and go for goals again. Emelec has the most goals scored at home, while El Nacional have the most goals scored away, so that sets this match up nicely, especially since both of the teams need and want the win. Emelec may have lost all chances to win the title without having to play a final, so the only objective left for them is to try and finish first in the aggregate table, thus giving them the chance to play the second leg of the final at home. Still a very tough task, as they are 6 points behind Deportivo, but I'm sure they'll do their best, and will keep playing offensive as always. Meanwhile, El Nacional needs all the points they can get, if they are to remain in the 4th place, which gives them the chance to enter the play-off for Copa Libertadores, and with Barcelona lurking close by, any point lost could be fatal. Anangono has recovered and should start today's match, and that's good news for their offense. They already said they are coming to Emelec to win the 3 points, so I'm expecting a nice and thrilling match, with - hopefully - several goals. GL!

Nov 20, 2011

A lot at stake in this match, as with just 3 rounds remaining, San Martin and Cristal are playing their entire season. Both teams had a rather poor start of the season, but both of them recovered well, and now are in the race for a continental cup, with nice chances of succeeding. San Martin will seal their Copa Sudamericana ticket with a win tonight, but more importantly, they will still have some remote chances of going to Libertadores. Meanwhile, Sporting Cristal could tie Inti Gas on points with a win, for the last place that leads to Sudamericana. And besides this, they will be also able to breathe easily, securing their place in the top division for next year (they are currently only 4 points from the relegation zone, and a defeat today could complicate their situation). Both teams are in good form, scoring plenty of goals, and none of them should be happy with a draw. The main offensive players are set to start (Advincula and Alva for Cristal, Arriola and Alemanno for San Martin), so we should be in for a few goals. GL!

The hectic schedule is starting all over again for LDU, following their qualification to the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana, as in the next 10 days they will have to play the two legs against Velez Sarsfield, taking their total to 7 matches in almost 2 weeks. So, with the focus of the team obviously going to the continental cup, as the league is pretty much over for them, coach Bauza will once again rest some of his regulars. Several players from those who played in Asuncion on Thursday will be given a rest day today, so we'll have a half-powered LDU side. The biggest hit will probably be taken by the offensive line, as Acosta and Bieler will be responsible with scoring the goals, and they both aren't in their best form. Manta will have a good shit of remaining in the first division if they take some points here, as a win will send them 8 points clear of the relegation zone. Full team is expected for them, and I expect a solid match from Manta, especially since they haven't lost any of their last 4 home games against LDU. GL!